June 19 Birthday
On June 19, 1865, Union General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, and read General Order No. 3: "The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free." The Emancipation Proclamation had been issued on January 1, 1863, but it took two and a half years for the news to reach Texas. Some slave owners had moved to Texas precisely because it was remote and the Union Army had not penetrated it. Juneteenth became the African American celebration of emancipation. It became a federal holiday in 2021 — the first new federal holiday since Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 1983. Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were executed on June 19, 1953, in the electric chair at Sing Sing prison in Ossining, New York. They were convicted of conspiracy to commit espionage for passing atomic secrets to the Soviet Union. The evidence against Julius was substantial. The evidence against Ethel was thin — she was convicted largely on the testimony of her brother, David Greenglass, who later admitted he had lied to protect his wife. Ethel was executed on testimony that was perjured. The execution took place during the Korean War and the height of the Red Scare. People born on June 19 fall under the zodiac sign of Gemini. The birthstone is Pearl and the birth flower is Rose. Historical events on June 19 include 1865: Union General Granger announces emancipation in Galveston (Juneteenth), 1910: First Father's Day celebration held in Spokane, Washington, 1953: Julius and Ethel Rosenberg executed at Sing Sing prison. Famous people born on June 19 include Lou Gehrig (1903), Moe Howard (1897), Phylicia Rashad (1948).